Solve a Problem

Ask any project manager—if you want to be in management one day, learn to eat
problems for breakfast. An employee with a knack for problem solving is a great asset
for any company because the skill set involves critical thinking and leadership skills. This
person is able to see the “big picture” raised by an issue and think creatively to uncover
possible solutions.

Not everyone is naturally great at problem solving, but you can develop your skills in this
area by focusing on the following things: 

Get used to noticing common business problems around you.
These might be as simple as employees repeatedly missing the Monday scheduling meeting or as
far-reaching as a lack of cash flow for new initiatives.

Look at the problem from all angles.
Whatever the problem may be, what does it look like from a management angle? From the point of view of a staff worker? From the client’s point of view. Imagine yourself circling the issue 360 degrees and
see how it looks from multiple vantage points. Perhaps management is unhappy
because staff misses the Monday meeting but the staff members are serving
clients. How does this issue look from all sides?

Brainstorm possible causes.
What do you feel might be causing—or at least contributing to—the problem? Capture your answers, no matter how far out they might seem, in a OneNote notebook or a Word document. One cause of the employees missing the meeting might be that the meeting is scheduled in a high-call
time; another possible cause is that employees don’t want to attend the meetings
because they feel they are a waste of time.

Weigh the possible causes, and focus on one that seems most likely.
Think through the issue—and weigh it against other options—to see whether it is the
most likely candidate. Perhaps after weighing all the options, you feel that the staff
members want to make the meeting but feel that keeping clients happy is more
important—in the long term—than attending the meetings.

Once you’ve identified the possible cause, brainstorm possible workarounds
or solutions to correct the issue.
If you begin to look for solutions and things don’t seem to be coming together smoothly, return to your “possible causes” list and see whether another candidate is a better fit. One solution might be to suggest
the time of the meeting be moved. Another could be to have members of other departments take the phone calls while the meeting is going on.

Test your solution with a peer.
Or write up your solution, put it in a drawer overnight, and revisit it in the morning—before sharing it with your manager or leadership team.

How will you use technology to demonstrate your solution? You could write up a document that states the problem, causes, and possible solutions clearly. Informally, you could simply share your idea in an e-mail. But no matter how you share your solution, be sure to keep a copy for yourself, because it’s a demonstration of a valuable skill you can talk about in future interviews or personnel reviews.

HTML5

Tech Republic ran an interesting article on the current state of affairs for Programmers. Many things were mentioned including the fact that the job market is incredible for those with experience (entry-levelers need not apply).

Number one on the list was HTML5 so I thought it time to add an introductory course to our schedule. If you want to do some studying on your own then I would suggest you visit HTML5 Tutorial, HTML5 Rocks or go to Web Design Ledger and find iPhone tutorials and several useful cheat sheets.

Whether you like the standard or not, HTML5 seems to be gaining a great deal of popularity and support. The upcoming Window 8 program will provide extensive support for HTML5 so it's time to start adding this to your skill set.

SharePoint Designer

In spite of the ongoing battle as to who "doesn't" have to teach SharePoint  Designer at OakTree, the fact remains it is a great tool when used correctly. Microsoft has some dandy videos that cover the more common and important tasks.

You can also grab a copy of "Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2010 Step-by-Step" at Amazon. Don't want to wait for the hard copy or have a Kindle. You can still read it on your computer.

Countdown Clocks

Since we are just three weeks away from starting the New Year (when everyone does their New Years resolution) I thought I would share an annual speil about a great motivation tool. It's the "countdown clock." 

I use them periodically for personal projects or goals. I keep one at home and another on my desk at work. The idea obviously is the anticipation and excitement seeing a countdown clock constantly displaying the days, hours, minutes and seconds ticking down to a milestone or special event will motivate you or your team to persevere thru any challenges. Go to Countdown Clocks for a complete list of pre-printed faces or information on printing up your own…they are pretty cheap!

Show Me How

I can tell you how to do it or better yet, show you how to do it. One of the best SharePoint resources for non-techies is Microsoft's "That's Why I Use Sharepoint" website. There's a lot of videos, reference cards and even a place where you can create your own internal training program for users.

Seriously, if I was going to be dumped on a deserted island and only could take two things and one of them had to be SharePoint related, this baby is it!

Security

I'm always amazed at the lack of demand for security training (especially given the amount of money someone can make with a top certification). The main course (it's even required by the Department of Defense) is Comptia's Security+. Here is a free study guide to get you started.

EC Council is the home of Certified Ethical Hacker certification. Sans website is also the gold standard for advanced security training and certification.Cisco is also a player in security certification.

Finally here is a cool little site for some specific security tutorials.

Security certification is always going to be dependent on experience first, but add in a few acronyms and you could see a giant leap in your paycheck!